Afterwards
by Victory of Grace
Summary: A little collection of Malink stories, all set after OoT and MM. Enjoy!
1. The Carnival

Hey everyone! I've decided to start a new project of sorts. Basically, it will be a collection of Malink fics, all of which will be set after OoT and MM. I haven't decided if they'll go in any particular order or not, I'm really just writing as it comes to me. And I'm not done with Malon's Diary, I just need a change of pace for a while. I hope you like.

Disclamer: I don't own LoZ, characters or storyline.

1. Carnival

-

Lon Lon Ranch was especially active this particular evening. Lights, booths, ponyrides, children and adults milling about, more than willing to throw away their money for a prize nowhere worth the cost. Still, they didn't mind, it was the summer, a time to have fun. In the midst of it all, a particular red head seemed to be having an especially good time.

"Thanks again Link, you have no idea how much the children will appreciate this!" Malon said, mischief written all over her face. He rolled his eyes.

"Easy for you to say. You look great." It was true, Malon looked very lovely tonight. The dress she wore was quite the change from her normal attire, the color a deep blue that brought out her eyes, the cut enhancing her already slender figure. Still, his praise didn't deter her cause. She shook her finger at him, grinning.

"Say whatever you wish, but that doesn't change the fact that you promised me that you would wear that Keaton costume." Malon said, clearly enjoying the sight. "Your shift ends in an hour and a half, you can make it."

Link gave a sigh, and walked slowly back to the entrance of the ranch. As he greeted the families that came to the carnival, his mind drifted back to the hours just before the festival...

_-_

_"Link!" He could hear her melodic voice from inside the stable. Before he even had a chance respond, the door to the barn opened and she walked in, bright and cheerful. She had pen and paper in hand, checking off this and that as she walked by. In the years past, her father had been in charge of Hyrule's annual Summer Festival, however this year, Talon had passed the honor onto his daughter. Her perfectionist nature assured that this festival would be one of the best in years._

_"You promised you would greet everyone at the entrance, correct?" She asked, fully aware of the answer._

_He nodded, smiling at her enthusiasim._

_"Good, I put the costume you're to wear up in your bedroom. You should go ahead and try it on."_

_Link looked up suddenly. "What costume?" He asked. She only smiled, her eyes twinkling with laughter. _

_"You'll see." Was her only response, and she went on her way. Shaking his head, he went back to his chores._

_-_

_"Malon!" There was no way that this...this thing was what he was supposed to wear._

_"Yes Link?" Malon asked sweetly. He could tell she was enjoying this._

_He shook his head desperately. "There is no way I'm going to wear this."_

_She smiled. "Of course you are. Kids love Keaton, it'll make their day."_

_"But, but..." He stuttered for the words, but none came to him. Malon put her hands on her hips._

_"Don't tell me the all-couragous Hero of Time is afraid to wear a little 'ol Keaton costume, just for the sake of a few little kids..."_

_-_

"How does she do it?" Link asked himself. His shift had ended five minutes ago, and having changed into his regular clothes he was currently trying to locate the girl that had put him through this entire ordeal.

"Ha ha! Too bad Dad!" Link looked to his right to see Malon and her father battling it out with little wooden swords. They had gathered quite the crowd, all clearly amused by this little display of father-daughter bonding. Link joined the crowd, cheering on them both. They went on for quite a while, back and forth, back and forth. However, in the end, Malon's limitless energy eventually won out.

"All right, my turn." Link spoke up, walking towards Talon. Talon gave a grin, and joined the crowd after handing over his wooden sword.

"So is this your way of getting back at people?" Malon asked him, face filled with mock fear.

"No, only at certain red-heads." He shot back at her, grinning.

Taking a deep breath, she ran towards him, sword in the air. He easily blocked it and countered instinctively, accidentally knocking her off her feet.

"Malon! Are you all right?" He rushed to her side, only to have his feet knocked out from beneath him by a quick swipe from Malon. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You know better than to let your defenses down around an opponent." She said matter-of-factly.

Link pushed himself up off his stomach and stood up, brushing off his tunic. "I guess I just needed a reminder." He said with a grin. Offering his hand to help her up, Malon stood up as well.

"So, now that you're off your shift, what do you want to do?" She asked, taking a look around.

Link shrugged. "Actually I was hoping to find a fire. So I could burn that costume."

Malon gave him a glare. "You can't, it's a rental."

He gave her an evil smile. "That would make it even better."

"Oh, shut up. Really, what do you want to do?" She asked.

-

"Link, I really, really, really don't like this. Please don't make me do this." Malon pleaded.

Link grinned. The two were currently being secured into the Carpenters' newest creation: The Ferris Wheel. It was an impressive sight, standing as tall as any building you'd see in Hyrule City (With the exception of Hyrule Castle, of course). Link found it a more than suitable means of getting his revenge; Malon's greatest fear was, of course, heights.

As the ride started, Malon kept looking from side to side nervously. "How in the world did he get me up here?" She asked herself. Of course, she knew perfectly well how he had accomplished this feat.

_"I promise that if you'll come on the Ferris Wheel, I won't burn that costume."_

She could kill him, really.

As the ride went higher and higher, Link looked down at Malon. Her eyes were tightly closed, afraid to look down.

"You can open your eyes Malon, there's nothing to be scared of." He said sympathetically. She opened her eyes.

"I'm not scared." She said, trying her best at a bold front.

"Malon?"

"What?"

"I can't feel my arm." Malon looked down in surprise, only realizing at that point in time that she had a hold on his arm. She quickly pulled her hands away.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. Link shook his head, smiling.

Just as their ride reached the top, there was a loud screech, followed by the sound moaning metal. The ride slowed to a stop.

"Link, what's going on?" Malon said, frantic.

He looked over the edge of the ride to see several of the carpenters examining the ride. One of them looked up.

"Sorry everyone, we've had a slight mechanical malfunction. The ride ought to be fixed...sometime soon." He said, not sounding too confident in his words. Link looked over to Malon, whose face had grown pale.

"We're going to die." She said, very serious.

Link rolled his eyes. "No we're not, just wait. Before long, they'll have the ride will be fixed, and you'll be back on the ground." She shook her head and once again closed her eyes once. Looking back over the edge, Link was able to see several of the carpenters running here and there, fiddling with this and that. Several of them had stopped to scratch their heads in confusion.

"Just great." Link thought to himself, shivering as a breeze blew by. Although it was summer, the wind was cool this evening, especially on top of a ferris wheel. Malon shivered as well, her eyes still tightly closed. Link gave a sigh, and put his arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I made you wear that Keaton costume." She said apologetically.

Link nodded. "I know." He laughed. "And I promise I'll never make you come on another ferris wheel ride."

Malon opened her eyes. "Like you could make me. Never again." She said, giving a slight smile. Link gave her a kiss on the forehead, and smiled at her red face.

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed." He said, teasing.

"Shut up." She replied.

About that time, the ferris wheel gave a loud screech, and slowly started to turn. One by one, all of the people were all let off onto the ground, Link and Malon among the last off.

"Sweet, sweet ground!" Malon yelled as soon as she was let off the ride. Link couldn't help but laugh as she ran up to each carpenter and gave them a serious talk about the dangers of things such as ferris wheels and how no one should ever have to be put through this type of suffering again.

-

"So did you have a good time at your carnival?" Link asked Malon before going to his room for the night. They had spent the remainder of their time throwing darts, testing their strength, and throwing canvas balls at milk bottles.

She gave a smile. "Of course I did, Fairy Boy." She laughed. "I know that you didn't appreciate having to dress up as a Keaton, but it meant a lot to me that you would actually do that for me."

Link nodded, and started for his room, but turned around at the last moment. "Why was it so important that I dress up like a Keaton anyway?"

Malon gave a grin. "I just wanted to be sure that you were good with kids." She said, and ran up to her room.

"W-what?"


	2. A Royal Mess, Part 1

I'm very pleased that you all liked the first story so much. The one I'm writing currently ought to have two or three parts to it, so I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and just for knowledge sake: In both the previous story and the one's to follow, let it be considered that Link took Talon up on his offer to work on the ranch once he was older.

2- A Royal Mess, Part 1

Malon pushed her sweaty bangs away from her face as she leaned against the heavy scythe. Link had left on a special errand to Hyrule City a couple days ago, and her father and Ingo were too lazy to work in the field. That left her to do his chores as well her own. So far she had been out in the field for a grand total of ten minutes, and already she was tired.

"This little errand of his had better be important..." She thought outloud.

Picking up the scythe, she continued to work in the field until noon. By that time her entire upper body was sore, and it took all her effort to just walk out of the field and back to the house. Just as she was reaching for the door, she heard a voice behind her.

"Um, excuse me miss..."

Malon turned around to see a young messenger boy wearing red and gold livery-the Royal Family's colors. As he dismounted the steed he had been riding, he stumbled a bit. His dark brown hair appeared wind-blown, his eyes tired. He looked as though he had been riding all night.

"I have a letter and package for Lady Malon Astira. Would you please direct me as to where I might find her?" He asked, voice weak.

"I'm Malon." She said, feeling very sympathetic for the boy. At these words, the boy tilted his head in confusion, and took a second to study the sweaty, dusty, farm girl that stood before him. He then smiled, his eyes twinking with amusement.

"I apologize, Lady Astira." The boy said with a slight bow. He walked over his his horse and pulled a letter and package out of a messenger bag the horse was carrying. Taking it over to Malon, he brought a pen and sheet of paper as well.

"Would you please initial this as proof that you received the two?" He asked. Malon took the pen and initialed the paper. The boy nodded thankfully, and handed over letter and package. He gave another slight bow, mounted his horse and left.

"That was strange." Malon said to herself. Shanking her head, she walked inside the house and up to her room. Sitting down on her bed, she curiously opened the letter the boy had given her. She at once recognized Link's handwriting.

_"Mal,_

_I know you're still probably cursing me for leaving you there to take care of my chores. However, I have a favor to ask of you: I would really appreciate it if you would come to Hyrule City. I can go into more detail once you arrive, but please, just consider it, all right? If you do indeed decide to come, I would hope to see you tomorrow morning around eight._

_-Link" _

Malon shifted unconfortably. "Why on earth is it such a big deal for me to just come to Hyrule City? I go there all the time..." She thought to herself. Reaching over for the package, she tore away the wrapping to reveal a beautiful violet dress. Tiny stones glittered around the neck and sleeves, attached to the front was a small note.

_"If you decide to come to Hyrule City, I would greatly appreciate it if you would wear this once you arrive."_

Malon frowned in realization. "He wants me to come to the palace." She paused, and it thought over. "Still, what's so bad about the palace?" She glanced over to the mirror in her room. A dirty face with tired blue eyes, tangled red hair and a torn work dress looked back at her. "Oh yeah..." She picked up the letter and read through once again, followed by yet another look in the mirror.

"Maybe I'll go and see what he has to say. It's not like he can make me go to the palace..."

-

"Link, I really don't want to go!" She pleaded her cause for the fifth time that morning. When she had arrived at the inn in Hyrule City earlier that morning, she had still been unsure of whether or not she really wanted to go to the palace, but now she was certain.

Link took her hands. "Malon, please. It's just a gathering with a few of my friends, and I would really like for everyone to meet you."

Malon rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a farmgirl. I'm not used to being around kings and queens and princesses. Commoners just aren't ever around royalty, you know?"

"C'mon Malon, I promise they'll love you. Please." He begged. She gave a sigh.

"Fine."

At this he gave a bright smile and picked her up off ground. "Thank you Malon! I promise you won't regret it."


	3. A Royal Mess, Part 2

This chapter was fun . One thing, this chapter focuses more on Malon's experiences while at the palace, while the next will focus more on Link. I hope you enjoy.

Another little sidenote: I'm going on the assumption that, while Link was sent back in the past after defeating Ganon in OoT, everyone retained their memories of what had gone on during Ganon's reign.

2- A Royal Mess, Part 2

Link looked nervously over at Malon. She looked beautiful, the violet dress fit her perfectly, her long red hair shining in the sun. However, she sat with her arms crossed, frowning. The carriage rattled as it made it's way down the stone streets of Hyrule City, and she looked very uncomfortable being couped up in such a tiny place.

"Remind me why we couldn't just walk to the palace?" She asked after the carriage went over a particularily large and painful bump.

Link gave a sigh. "It rained last night, and this is how the royal family wished for people to arrive."

Malon stole a glance at Link, only to make contact with his own worried gaze. She forced a smile, determined to do her absolute best not to ruin this for him (if that was at all possible). He looked exactly like a noble, his clothing starch white with gold adorning the sides and sleeves. His sandy blond hair, although brushed, still appeared messy. She figured everyone at this little gathering would be used to seeing his hair like this anyway.

The carriage halted to a stop in front of the main gate to the palace, the driver proceeding to give Link's invitation one of the palace guards.

"Remember the last time we were both here?" Link asked with a smile.

Malon couldn't help but grin. "A Fairy Boy lost Hyrule Market, on an adventure to see the princess."

"An impatient red-head waiting for her father to return from the palace."

Malon poked him in the ribs, laughing. "I had been waiting for hours! I think I was extremely patient with him."

Link was about to respond, when one of the guards gave a knock on the carriage door. "Excuse me ma'am, but may I see your invitation?"

Malon looked at Link in confusion. "I invited her to come." Link said, catching the guard's attention. At the sight of Link, the guard gave a low bow.

"You must excuse my impudence, Sir Link, I received no foreknowledge that you were bringing a guest. Are you certain that the royal family will have objections?"

"Yes, I'm certain." Link replied confidently.

The guard nodded respectfully, and gave the signal to open the main gate. As the carriage rolled past the guard, he gave Malon an apologetic smile.

"Does the Royal Family even know I'm coming?" Malon once the carriage was well past the gate.

Link grimaced. "Well, um..no, it was sort of a last minute decision on my part."

Malon's mouth dropped. "No, there is no way I'm going now."

-

"I hate you." Malon whispered to Link as he assisted her in climbing down out of the carriage. How he had convinced her to stay, she had no idea, the only thing she knew was that she was now currently making her way towards the palace instead of on her way home. She had to admit, however, it was quite the impressive sight. The palace's white marble walls gleamed in the noonday sun, it's towers seeming as if they touched the sky. When the two reached the front palace steps, a servant came forward and gave a low bow.

"Sir Link, the Princess has eagerly been awaiting your arrival." He faultered when he saw Malon. "And, umm...who might this young lady be?" He asked curiously.

"This is Malon Astira, I invited her to come." He said once again.

"Hmm, well all right." He gave a whistle, and another servant ran up and gave a bow. "Take Miss Astira into the ballroom with the other guests." He said with an air of authority.

"Very well." The servant responded, motioning for Malon to follow.

"Wait! Isn't Link coming too?" Malon asked, worried.

The other servant shook his head. "The Princess requested to see the Hero as soon as he arrived."

Link gave Malon a sympathetic smile. "I'm really sorry Malon, I promise I'll catch back up with you in a couple minutes, all right?"

Malon frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Fine."

-

Malon gave an angry sigh as she stood against a wall in the massive ballroom, which was most likely larger than her house. Lavishly decorated in red and gold, the ballroom could hold two, perhaps even three hundred people. Portraits of the former rulers of Hyrule could be seen hanging on the walls, framed with gold and jewels. Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, even a few Gerudo and Kokiri could be seen at this "little gathering" of "a few" friends. Malon made a mental note to teach Link the meaning of "a few", meaning ten or fifteen at the most. So far she had counted at least one hundred and twenty-four people.

It had already been about twenty minutes since Link left, and Malon's stomach was beginning to growl. Looking over, she was able to make out a table with various foods being served. At first she wouldn't budge, but eventually her stomach won out and she made her way cautiously over to the food table. After picking up a plate, she was met with quite the humorous sight. A Zora, dressed in a deep blue gown seemed very angry indeed, and appeared to be taking out all her frustration on the chef.

"How can you be so barbaric? It's unthinkable, how...how!" She asked obviously wanting an answer.

The chef stuttered for an answer. "T-there's nothing I can do Princess Ruto...they asked for the grilled fish, so I gave them grilled-" He was cut off by the princess.

"I don't care if they wanted it or not, it's the act itself. "To think, a poor innocent fish..." She stopped, noticing Malon's gaze. Malon quickly looked down, trying to appear inconspicuous.

"You!" She walked over to Malon, giving the very frightened chef a chance to run off. "You, do you make a habit of staring at people? Or are you just rude?" She asked, arrogantly.

Malon looked up sharply, more than fed up with the entire situation. "Listen, I'm sorry I was "staring", but what do you expect when you're yelling and biting someone's head off like that? More than likely, a couple people will take notice." She paused, and shook her head." And so what if they're serving fish? Learn to deal with it."

At this, Malon heard a clap behind her, accompanied by a low laugh. She turned to see a huge Goron tower towards her.

"Well said. Ruto, how many times have I told you to take it easy?" He asked, grinning.

Ruto crossed her arms. "But Darunia, they're serving..."

Darunia held up a hand, causing Ruto to fall silent. "Apologize to the girl. She didn't do anything wrong."

Ruto turned to face Malon. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." She studied Malon for a second, then cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you anyway?" She asked curiously.

"Um, my name's Malon Astira." Malon replied, giving a slight curtesy.

"Hmm..." Darunia said, scratching his chin. "I don't recall the name."

"You hardly recall anyone's name." A small girl with green hair walked over to the threesome. "You just call them "Brother"or "Sister." She said with a smile. She wore a little green and gold gown specially fit for her size.

Darunia gave a laugh. "True enough, Miss Saria."

Saria nodded, and looked up towards Malon, blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "So you're Malon. Link's told me all about you."

Malon's face reddened slightly, causing Darunia to burst into laughter. "What do you mean?" Ruto asked, worried. "What do you mean he's told you all about her?"

Saria nudged Malon. "Um, yeah, Link works for my dad and I at our um, ranch..." She managed to get out.

Ruto gaped. "A farm? Why on earth would he be working on a farm? He knows perfectly well that he could ask for any position he wanted, and no one would deny it to him."

Darunia, finally gaining some composure spoke up. "You're right Ruto, he does know that perfectly well. Now, why would Link work on that ranch? Let's figure this all the way through..." He said humorously, turning Ruto so that she faced Malon.

Ruto stood there silently for a couple seconds, until the realization finally dawned on her. "You?" She said in disbelief. "He's working on that ranch because of...you?"

By now, Malon's face was scarlet, more than embarrassed by all this talk about her and Link. "I...guess..."

Ruto stood there for a couple seconds, just taking in it all. Then, much to everyone's surprise, she smiled. "I guess that's all right." She said, giving a shrug. "I don't think Link would of been able to handle me anyway."

"Boy is that right..." Darunia said, only to receive a elbow in the stomach from Ruto.

"Attention everyone!" The head chef appeared towards the front of the room. "If everyone would please make their way to the dining hall, dinner is almost ready to be served."

Malon felt a tug on her hand, and looked down to see Saria standing beside her. "C'mon, you can eat with us." She said with a smile. Darunia and Ruto both gave their heads a nod of approval, and Malon followed them all into the dining hall.


	4. A Royal Mess, Part 3

This is probably my first real attempt at a humorous chapter...anyway, I hope you enjoy.

2- A Royal Mess, Part 3

-

Link cursed himself as he walked down the long corridor inside the palace. He had truly wanted for Malon to have a good time, for all his friends to finally meet her. Instead, she was standing in a room, surrounded by at least two hundred people whom she knew nothing about. "She's going to kill me..." He thought as he finally made his way to Dining Hall, where the servant had told him he would find Princess Zelda.

The guard standing at the door gave a low bow, and silently opened the door for the Hero. Link slipped inside the noiseless room. It smelled wonderful, the servants just starting to set the first course out on the large, very long table which took up most of the room in the Dining Hall.

"Link!" Zelda's voice broke the silence as she came up to the Hero, smiling radiantly. She wore a light blue and silver gown, her golden hair arranged into perfect little ringlets. "I'm so thankful that you were able to come. I'm sure everyone is very anxious to see you again." She paused, noticing Link's face. "What's with the frown? Did I do something wrong?"

Link forced a smile. "No, no, everything's all right."

Zelda looked at him quizzically. "If you say so. Listen, I just wanted to make sure that you promise to take the seat of honor this time. As I remember, last time we had one of these gatherings you sat near one of the doors, and slipped outside before the party was even over. " She said in a most sisterly fashion, hands on her hips.

Link laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, well, you know I don't have much patience for small-talk."

Zelda shook her finger at him, laughing. "You're too selfish, you know that? Nevertheless, you will take the seat of honor at the head of the table. And if you even try to sneak out again, rest assured I will lock you in a room with Ruto for a day."

Link's eyes widened in mock horror. "Say it isn't so..."

Zelda smiled. "If you try and sneak out again, it will be-"

Both were startled to hear a crash behind them. "Noooo!" A voice behind them wailed. Zelda rushed over to a man bent over a broken bottle, it's contents spilt all over the floor.

"Chef Pierre, what's wrong?" She asked the master chef, who looked as if he was about to cry.

"That was-a my secret spice." He said miserably. I can't-a cook anything without-a my secret spice..."

Zelda looked up at Link, bewildered. "Well, umm...then, Pierre, can't you just get some more spice?" She asked hopefully.

Pierre shook his head. "You can only-a find the spice in Gerudo desert. I can't-a get it in time..."

Zelda looked hopefully up to Link. "Link...please...?

Link rolled his eyes. "Fine..."

-

Link rubbed his eyes as he entered the Dining Hall for the second time that day. "Stupid spice..." he said to himself. He had bought five bottles of the stuff, just in case Chef Pierre felt the need to break any more of his 'precious-a spice bottles.'

"There you are Link!" Zelda said, relieved. "Chef Pierre will be ecstatic when he sees this." She called in one of the servants, who in turn took two of the spice bottles to the kitchen.

Zelda turned back to Link. "Why don't you go ahead and take a seat? I just sent one of the chefs to announce that dinner is ready. The guests should be coming in any time."

Wearily, Link took a seat at the head of the table. If Malon had been angry before, by now he was sure she would be absolutely furious. As people started filling in, Link searched painstaking for Malon, finally sighting her in the midst of everyone. She seemed tired as well, but was smiling...talking to...who? Link pushed himself up from where he was sitting, only to see a very familiar green haired girl listening intently to Malon. Her blue eyes made contact with his, twinkling mischeviously.

"Link, I'm so disappointed in you!" Saria grabbed Malon's hand and ran up to Link. "You bring this poor girl to a party with a bunch of people she knows nothing about, and leave her all alone!" She laughed as Malon's face grew red.

Link walked over the Malon. "I know you're probably furious Mal, I just got tied up...I'm really sorry." He looked at Malon for any sign of repentance. She tilted her head, amused.

"Link, you're a mess. What on earth have you been doing for the past hour?" She asked.

"Long story..." He answered apologetically. "I'll tell you later."

-

Link looked across the table nervously towards Malon. Because of his position, Malon couldn't sit next to him during the meal-strike three against him that night. Never had he been so thankful for Saria, she insisted that Malon sit next to her, assuring that she wouldn't be completely alone during the meal. By now Saria had introduced Malon to each of the six sages, and their individual personalities, respectively. Every now and again Link would catch Malon's eye, and try his best to make some silent apology.

He looked down at his meal. The meat seemed a little...overdone, but he could smell the 'secret spice' from where he was sitting. As he listened to those around him, he was startled to hear a scream. He immediately looked towards Malon, whose face had turned red with embarressment. For a second, no one said anything, though there seemed to be some type of communication going on between the sages. Suddenly, Ruto stood up, face full of rage, and hurled a fish, hitting Nabooru in the face. The next thing anyone knew, all six of the sages were involved in an all-out food fight which soon encompassed the entire table, dignitaries and all.

-

"What on earth happened in there?" Link asked Malon as they waited for their carriage to return in front of the palace. Both were currently in the act of wiping as much of the food off their clothing as possible.

"Well, umm...do you really want to know?" Malon asked, face still red.

Link nodded.

"Well..."

-

Malon looked across the table towards Link, who gave his best apologetic glance. What an evening this had turned out to be. Saria had introduced her to each of the six sages; herself, Darunia and Ruto (whom she met earlier), and Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru. Watching them, they reminded her of six siblings, constantly arguing amongst themselves and teasing each other mercilessly. All in all, they made her laugh.

What didn't make her laugh was this food she was supposed to eat. Half of the food she had never seen in her life, and it was hard for her to make out what was supposed to be eaten and what wasn't. She tried to watch the sages for any indication of how to eat the food, but to no avail. Picking up her spoon, she decided to try a pudding like...thing...that sat on her plate. She stuck her spoon in, but when she tried to pull it out, the spoon wouldn't budge. Nervously, she pulled the spoon once, twice. The third time she pulled, the spoon flew out, and flung the puddling across the table right into the face of Darunia. The sages fell silent.

"I'm...I'm so sorry Darunia...I didn't mean to..." She tried, feeling her face grow very red.

Ruto laughed. "That's just great Darunia...the pudding on your face matches your coloring perfectly."

Darunia smirked. "You don't say Ruto...well I know what ought to go beautifully with you." At this he picked up the fish on Impa's plate and threw it at Ruto, hitting her directly in the face. She let out a piercing shriek, instantly silencing everyone sitting at the table. For a couple seconds she just sat in her chair, eyes wide. Suddenly, she stood up, seething.

"How dare you Darunia?" She picked up the fish and flung it back at him, however her aim was off by a wide margin, and hit Nabooru in the face instead.

Nabooru glared at Ruto. "Fish-princess! Work on your aim!" She yelled, pounding her fist on the table. Too late did she realize that she accidently caught the edge of her plate, and sent all it's contents into the face of a very surprised Saria.

Saria sat, stunned. After regaining some composure, she wiped the food off the face, and gave a shrug, eyes twinkling once again with mischief. "Well if it's a food fight you want..." She grabbed a hand full of food and flung it into the faces of Darunia, Nabooru, and (accidentally) Impa.

-

"And that's how everything started." Malon let out a deep breath as she leaned back into the seat of the carriage. By now it was clear the both Link's clothes and her own were ruined, and she was not looking forward to riding back to inn dressed like this.

"Mal, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I really wanted you to have a good time." He said, disappointed.

Malon laughed. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I know exactly how you can make it up to me."

Link nodded. "Your chores for the next year, right."

Malon shook her head. "Oh no, just tomorrow."

Link tilted his head, curious. "What's the catch?"

Malon grinned, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Saria and I are going to have lunch tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a very enlightening experience for the both of us."

Link rolled his eyes. "Just great..."

_Fin._


End file.
